Macron visits China

A very interesting weekend has gone by.  Many small movements of all kinds were observed, but it depends on what is real and what is not.  Geopolitically, nothing is really important except perhaps the talks to end the Yemen war and this will conclude positively for Yemen and the fact that Israel cannot any longer shoot at their neighbors with impunity.  It is being shot back at.

Macron eventually received press and photos from China and his visit ended pleasantly and with warmth, after a day or so of ‘cultural diplomacy’.   This was clearly not aimed at cultural dominance and this was a very wise move from China.  Macron was entertained with tea ceremonies, visited noted Chinese gardens, made a speech at a university, and was told a story by Xi Jinping himself.  The story is a teaching moment and it is no coincidence that Xi Jingping told it to Macron.

“What was the name of the tune?” the French president asked after listening to a guqin music piece called “Gao Shan Liu Shui” (High Mountains and Flowing Water) during an informal meeting with ­Chinese President Xi Jinping in Guangzhou on Friday.  The instrument is ancient, 1,267 years old, and a Chinese treasure.  The guqin is considered an embodiment of ancient Chinese philosophy, and expresses the Chinese values of elegance, truth, benevolence, and beauty.   According to the story, Bo Ya (ancient musician) was playing music one day when he was overheard by a passing woodcutter. As Bo Ya played a piece to capture the grandeur of the high mountains, the woodcutter remarked, “Towering like Mount Tai!” Bo Ya then played a tune in the spirit of flowing water, and Zhong exclaimed, “How vast are the rivers and oceans!” Bo Ya then realized that he had met someone who truly understood him. It is said that when Zhong passed away, Bo Ya broke his instrument since he knew no one would ever understand his music as his friend had done.

In other words, friendship must be real, and must be practical and rhetoric will not suffice.

The Chinese did what they say they do.  They do not interfere in the affairs of other countries, so the state of France being on fire, and the fact that Macron may lose his head in the next few months, was carefully managed and avoided.  These days one cannot deny that you get much further in partnership with China than with the US.  Macron went to China to:

• split China from Russia
• interfere or make himself part of a political settlement of the Ukraine situation or get help in furthering a peace agreement to avoid further negative economic results on Europe itself.

China wanted nothing of that and after deft diplomatic moves from China, Macron left …

• having had a De Gaulle moment and stating that Europe must resist pressure to become ‘America’s followers,’ and the ‘great risk’ Europe faces is getting ‘caught up in crises that are not ours.’   PoliticoEU tries to walk it back. 

The West and the EU are in shock and mourning of course.  Here Macron speaks of Europe, and not only of France, just after Lady Imposter Ursula, who was slated to play the role of escort cop to save Macron’s European conscience, was sent back in ignominy.  Western feedback was immediate and strong:  “No matter how Macron tries to save face, he has backstabbed the European Union and betrayed Western values. he will go down in history as a traitor, traître with his failed political talent.”

Macron has returned to a country on fire.  So how do we encapsulate this story of cultural diplomacy?  Some business was done and half of Airbus manufacturing and assembly will now happen in China.   I can think of only one capsule that fits.

Chinese élan trumps French élan and given the state of France, may be written in history only as Macron’s cultural diplomacy that nevertheless took the issue of decoupling off the table, gave the US another kick, and led others to take an exit path that China is offering. 

Who knows, tomorrow Macron may change his tune or lose his head.